Many offices can generate a high volume of printer output or require high print rates to meet deadlines. When these needs are fairly constant, large, high-production printers and associated hardware may be required. These high-production units are expensive to procure and maintain and, generally, are only made economically feasible by a constant high demand for printer output. When printer requirements fluctuate, the costs of these high-production printers are difficult to justify. However, when sporadic, high printer throughput is a necessity, some offices are forced to bear the costs of expensive printer equipment that runs at well below its capacity most of the time.
Cluster printing has been introduced to avoid this problem. Cluster printing involves the use of multiple printers in a network. With cluster printing, print tasks can be sent to a multiple printer network with a capacity that rivals the capacity of expensive, high-throughput equipment. Generally, this network is comprised of multiple lower-production printers that may already exist in an office environment making the cost of the network very manageable.
Through the use of cluster printing, a user may choose to split a single print task among several printers to increase print task speed and decrease print time. Print tasks that include multiple copies may be divided so that each printer in a network prints some of the copies. Other variations of print job and print task distribution may also be implemented.
Cluster printing may be implemented through specialized printers which contain cluster-enabling firmware. When these printers are interconnected via cables, they can share printing jobs. In some cases, the marking engines are connected to enable division of printing tasks between the connected printers.
Other methods of implementing cluster printing functions require the use of additional hardware or application software. Typically, a specialized print server is used. This server is generally a high-performance general purpose computer to which print jobs are directed by the network. Specialized software on the server allows print tasks or copies thereof to be distributed among multiple printers that are managed by the server.
These known cluster printing implementations require specialized printer or server hardware or software to provide cluster printing functions.
Another problem that exists in single printer, cluster printing, network printing and other environments is that of printer status detection. When a print task is initiated, a user typically selects a printer or printers based on the printers' location and/or capabilities. However, if one or more selected printers are offline, in an error state, busy, or for some other reason, unavailable, the print task may not be completed in an acceptable time period or may not be completed at all. Typically, an error message is returned to the user who must then select another printer or correct the problem preventing the selected printer from functioning. In some network printing cases involving print queues, no error message is returned and the user is left unaware of the printing problem. When a print task is time sensitive this process can be frustrating causing missed deadlines and tarnished reputations.
Printer status detection can be especially important in cluster printing environments where print tasks are divided among several printing devices. When a user or the user's computing device is not aware of the status of the printing devices selected for printing, a print task or portions thereof can be delayed, interrupted or lost.